Liverpool legend Phil Thompson believes Jurgen Klopp’s Merseyside derby selection suggested complacency and a lack of understanding of the game’s importance. Klopp made six changes from their 7-0 Champions League win for the Super Sunday showdown – including omitting Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino for Dominic Solanke and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – and while his side dominated possession, Everton snatched a 1-1 at Anfield through Wayne Rooney’s penalty.
Soccer Saturday’s Thommo believes Klopp’s persistence with rotation, which has seen Liverpool make significantly more changes to their starting line-up than any other Premier League team, suggested he underestimated the magnitude of the affair. He told Sky Sports: “We, as Liverpool fans, have moaned about the rotation for a few weeks and it has come off previously, but this is a derby game. You play your best team in the derby. “That selection worried me that he didn’t understand how big a game it was. He’s gone with a team to beat a mid-table team rather than win a derby game. “If it was Manchester United he would have played a full-strength side, so it was maybe a bit of complacency as well as the rotation. Philippe Coutinho takes his place on the bench ahead of the Merseyside derby at Anfield. “It’s always a risk rotating and for this game I just can’t get my head around it as a Liverpool fan. I know it was important to him but we’ve all been fans for our lives.
“We knew they would park three buses and we needed that bit of craft which Coutinho brings. I’d have also kept Mohamed Salah on. “He got his fingers burnt last January when he failed to rotate enough. But you see he’s now made 20 changes more than any club so maybe he has taken that too far.” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was left angered at the referee’s decision to award Everton a penalty in their 1-1 draw and insisted only one team wanted to play. Thommo did, however, defend Klopp’s post-match reaction and insists any Liverpool supporters questioning his position would be wrong.
“I’ve been there, it’s frustration and anger. His team had so much possession but Jordan Pickford wasn’t really worked,” he added. “I can understand and he did apologise but I don’t think he’s had a good look at it because he wouldn’t have treated the reporters that way. Yes it was very harsh and the referee couldn’t wait to point to the spot but it is one of them we see given. “He’s big enough, strong enough and good enough to handle this and anyone calling for him to be sacked needs to see that he’s one of the best in the world.” Klopp’s side might have only managed a point but Thommo also believes that Sadio Mane’s miss just before half-time was pivotal. “The turning point was the Mane moment because at 2-0 Sam Allardyce would have had to come out and it could have ended 4-0 or 5-0. “If he’d squared that ball it would have been 2-0 and game over.”
